New map shows the presence of Anopheles maculipennis s.l. mosquitoes in Europe

Will tuberculosis be the next disease to be eliminated in Europe?

News story-19 Mar 2019

It should be. Despite being a curable disease, tuberculosis (TB) is still a challenging public health issue in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA), with over 55 000 TB infections reported annually and thousands of fatalities.

Slight decline in hepatitis C diagnoses in 2017

Gonorrhoea cases on the rise across Europe

News story-25 Apr 2019

Following a decline in notification rates in 2016, the number of gonorrhoea cases has gone up by 17% across the reporting EU/EEA countries with more than 89 000 confirmed diagnoses in 2017 – more than 240 cases a day.

Chronic hepatitis B infections on the rise since 2008

News story-17 Jun 2019

In 2017, the majority (58%) of the almost 27 000 newly reported hepatitis B cases in the European Union and European Economic Area were classified as chronic infections. This follows a consistent upward trend in reported chronic hepatitis B cases since 2008.

Syphilis notifications in the EU/EEA up by 70% since 2010

News story-12 Jul 2019

The number of syphilis cases has been consistently going up across Europe since 2010, mostly affecting men who have sex with men living in urban areas. In 2017, notification rates reached an all-time high in the EU/EEA countries with more than 33 000 reported cases. An in-depth ECDC study published today describes the factors behind this increase and outlines the evidence-based options for public health control of syphilis, including case finding and management as well as educational activities.

Targeted testing is an essential element of any strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis across the countries in the European Union and European Economic Area. Some preliminary monitoring results on the response to hepatitis B and C presented around World Hepatitis Day show that diagnosing chronic infections is still a challenge in the EU/EEA.

Dutch health authorities have recently reported an increase of hepatitis A infections particularly affecting men who have sex with men. With the on-going Pride events across Europe, ECDC stresses the importance of ensuring hepatitis A vaccination, (advice for) safer sex and personal hygiene practices including washing hands and genital areas before and after sex to avoid infection.